Member Movie Reviews

Interesting ultra low budget film ($approx $26,00) about what happens when government scientists capture a vampire and begin performing tests.

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Movie Reviews

Horror film with focus on story and characterization!

Lisa A. Adolf | Everett, WA USA | 06/03/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Demon Under Glass is a wonderful breath of air in the horror genre where for too long, shock value and gore has overriden plot, characterization and ethical conundrum considerations. This smart and stylish independent production is satisfying on many levels, not the least of which is the ethical dilemna which is its central theme. Suppose that vampires really exist. And suppose that one were captured and studied by science? Is a sentient human being who just happens to be dead, and who kills others for their blood and fear, to be given more consideration than a lab rat? This is the premise of the film.The capture of the vampire, Simon Molinar happens at the outset of the film, as police and a mysterious commando force set a trap into which the urbane vampire falls. Subdued and badly injured, he is spirited off to an LA area Veterans Hospital to be studied. Once here, he comes under the attention and care of Dr. Joseph McKay, young doctor working off medical school debt at the VA facility. McKay is tapped to replace the project leader and medical doctor, Dr. Hirsch, who was killed in Molinar's capture. It is through McKay's eyes and experience that the nature of the project comes to light and the ethical considerations are explored. Treating the injured captive, the compassionate McKay becomes drawn into his patient's life and situation. Necessarily clued to the true nature of the man under his care, the young doctor finds a polite, cooperative patient who seems to little warrant the stringent security and strict protocols aimed at keeping him under control. McKay's empathy is tested as he is involved in the experimentation involved first in healing Molinar's initial injuries, and as the vampire heals, the scientific inquiry that is the thrust of the secret Delphi Project he has been drawn into. McKay is the voice of reason and compassion, who questions the right of the project specialists to conduct what seems at times the vilest sort of torture, in order to further science. As the experimenters go farther and farther in search of answers, and as the police who have been cheated of their suspect in a string of serial murders pursue the case and Molinar's whereabouts, McKay finds himself torn between a patient who is almost a friend, and associates who increasingly seem comfortable violating the very moral code that is at the heart of the Hippocratic Oath.Molinar is played with style and flair by Jason Carter, who makes his vampire villain complicated and sympathetic--a man who, when escape does not seem possible, agrees to give back to humanity something of what he has taken for centuries, by allowing himself to be studied and experimented on. Garett Maggart is Dr. Joseph McKay, the emotional heart and soul of the film, who masterfully portrays a man torn between his natural compassion, his healing gift, and the moral considerations of how much humanity a fundamentally inhuman patient should be allowed. Maggart gives a multilayered performance from which McKay emerges the quintessential hero, but not without emotional cost and a conflicted soul. The two stars are supported by an excellent cast.For a low budget independent feature, the production quality and technical aspects are, if not great, still excellent. With studio backing and a huge budget, this could have been one of the most talked about films in years, but would probably have suffered from having huge name stars cast in the roles so beautifully played here. This is very much a thinking man's film. While there is drama and tension aplenty, this film never goes for cheap shock and audience manipulation. The end result is a film that is first a drama with a compelling plot and second the most satisfying "horror" film this reviewer has had the pleasure to watch in many, many years."

Vampires suck

Lasha | Planet Earth | 07/05/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Demon Under Glass is not the worst vampire movie I've ever seen, nor is it the best. I am giving it one star because of the technical problems with the film (poor lighting, sound, etc.) not because the script or the acting was substandard.The premise is excellent, the Delphi Project, a secret government program which was created to solve the mystery of life itself, has found a vampire subject named Simon (Jason Carter of Babylon 5) to study. The Project has two doctors, one a kind and compassionate healer named Dr. Joe McKay (Garett Maggart of The Sentinel) and the other the cliched mad scientist who only wants to exploit the vampire for his own crazy needs.However, when a friendship begins to develop between Simon and Joe, will the good doctor try and save the vampire from the evil scientist and the now corrupt Delphi Project? And so begins the premise of the movie: Who is the Monster? The humans or the vampire?Like I said, the movie has a good start, with a good plot and the acting is quite good (except for the gentlemen who plays the evil scientist, he's horrible beyond belief and needs to be recast if they ever do a sequel), the movie is virtually unwatchable because of the technical problems. The lighting is bright in some scenes and low in others. Sound goes in and out in my copy of the DVD and the special effects are lame, even for a low budget horror film. And believe me I watch every low budget vampire movie out there. Vampire films are my favorite genre of horror. The director shot on digital film and it shows. So now I understand why the film could not get a distributor. It looks like a bad home movie gone wrong. However, the cast cannot be blamed for these problems, so cut them some slack. They do everything they possibly can with the script and work around the technical difficulties. I give them high marks for that!If you don't expect much going into this film, you will not be disappointed. And for Jason Carter and Garett Maggart fans, it's well worth the $6.98 you'll pay for it. So buy it for that reason alone."

Demon Under Glass is Dead On

Violetta | 04/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was no big-budget production. The cast and crew did not rely on special effects or large explosions. Instead they place their faith in stellar performances by the central cast and an interesting script with a new take on the vampire mythos. It works.

Demon Under Glass was a pleasant surprise. Thoughtful, fun, intelligent, and insightful ... it was a pleasure to watch. I only wish they'd filmed a sequel, because this film deserves one.

Garrett Maggart plays Dr. Joe McCay with wisdom and humanity, and his reluctant friendship with the vampire, Simon Molinar (brilliantly played by Jason Carter, who sucks the audience right in - even when you know, you just KNOW, this guy is bad news, you're still rooting for him right along with the other characters in the film, despite his "evil" nature), is the highlight of this story. Neither man chooses to be there, but they deal with the situation and each other, despite a lack of trust that grows into something akin to mutual respect if not downright friendship.

The back cover of the DVD led me to believe that this would be an action pic, a battle between the police and a killer, but in truth, it is a study of what "humanity" is and takes place primarily in the lab where Simon is being studied. Kudos to the film-makers for this rare and perfect choice. It is what makes this film so special.

In my opinion, if you enjoy a fun, engaging movie, then Demon Under Glass is for you. Watch it and enjoy. It was wonderful!"

Garett made the difference

startsl | Mexico | 07/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Last year I bought my DVD and I watched the movie for the first time together with family and friends. The plot caught us from the beginning until the end. It is a plot very different to the other movies of vampires, it is original, refreshing and interesting, that made us meditate about the origen of the vampires. The movie is not spectacular, it doesn't have special effects and it is not bloody, but it has good music and it is worthy of being seen and to have it in our collection for the only fact of the excellent plot and the magnificent performance of the actor Garett Maggart (Blair Sandburg in The Sentinel) who knew to interpret with extraordinary naturalness to the Dr. Joseph MacKay. The result, the young doctor catches and convinces to the audience of his moral dilemma, he doesn't want to hurt the vampire, but he also knows that it is an opportunity in a million to help the scientists to understand the origen of the vampires. On the other hand, the actor Jason Carter (Babylon 5) dared to interpret a different vampire, a vampire that surprises and divert, that it is intelligent and it collaborates with the investigators; but his murderous instincts and of survival are stronger than his own reasoning. It can be said that Garett Maggart and Jason Carter carried out for themselves the complete movie, supported by a excellent plot. Especially the performance of Garett Maggart gives the master touch to this movie, he acted very natural, fair to the height of the circumstances. In the TV show "The Sentinel" he had opportunity to show his big actor qualities, the one put talent and heart in the character of Blair Sandburg. In "Demon Under Glass" his great talent was not taken advantage of and the low quality of the photography didn't allow to capture to fullness his great histrionic capacity, but he definitively took out the movie ahead. Demon Under Glass, good effort of independent cinema, in the one that Garett, marked the difference. The bloopers? To see Garett so jovial and joker was for my a pretty and moving surprise.I would like to see DUG with dubbing in Spanish and of course I would like to see DUG-2."

NATURE OR NURTURE

Michael Butts | Martinsburg, WV USA | 04/10/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Watching DEMON UNDER GLASS reminded me of the old soap opera DARK SHADOWS, only in that its filming was reminiscent of how they used to do that 70s series. But whereas SHADOWS opted for campiness, DEMON tries to take a serious look at how we might "capture" a vampire and use him to study his genetic makeup and just what makes him tick. The movie posits the question as to just who is the demon? The vampire Vlad or the scientists who would torture him to discover how quickly his regenerative powers work. In the film, Vlad is responsible for the deaths of several lovely prostitutes whom he brutally beats and mutilates when finished. As he is captured, however, we see a different vampire: he seems appreciative of the care of young Dr. McCrady; he cooperates fully; and he doesn't seem all that bad..until the obsessed doctor in charge of the program takes his experimentations a little too far. By the end of the movie, the vampire is pleased with who and what he is, and he sees nothing wrong in needing human blood.DEMON UNDER GLASS tries hard to be different, and in some ways, it succeeds. The production values are very amateurish, and this does detract from the film. Garet Maggart does well as the idealistic and conscience-stricken doctor, and Jason Carter has a certain vulnerability to match his evilness. The rest of the cast is pretty bad, though--particularly Jack Donner as the scientist and Denise Alessandra Hurd as the police detective whose own fascination with Vlad is never fully explored.DEMON UNDER GLASS won't make you forget the Hammer Dracula films or even Barnabas Collins, but it isn't as bad as it could have been."